Thirty years after making his professional debut in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao sat down on Saturday night in Temecula, California, to watch his 24-year-old son Jimuel do the same.
Manny’s first fight ended in a four-round points win over Edmund Enting Ignacio, but Jimuel had to settle for a draw against fellow debutant Brendan Lally.
Their lightweight contest featured on the Manny Pacquiao Promotions US debut card at the Pechanga Resort Casino, which was headlined by middleweight Lazaro Lorenzana outpointing veteran Luis Arias.
In Pacquiao–Lally, it was a tale of two halves: Pacquiao took the first two rounds, with Lally edging the final two.
Speaking afterwards to former world champion Shawn Porter, Jimuel gave his reaction to the bout.
“In my head, I was just like, bite down and stay in there with him and, you know, just try to outslug him.”
His father, however, was more forthright in his assessment.
“He can fight again. But I have to make sure I’m supervising his training. I don’t want that to happen again. He needs to improve more instinct and focus on his opponent.”
Whether Jimuel fights again remains to be seen, but the former amateur said he was glad to have gone through the experience of being a professional prizefighter.
“It’s good, because for the next pro fights, if this happens again, then I’ve experienced it already and I know what to expect.”
As for the fighting future of Manny, he is expected to return to action in early 2026, following his draw with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios back in July.
